Page 80 of Savage Keepsakes

As we step out and dry off, the towel wrapped around my waist, I watch as she pulls a box from the closet and gestures toward the toilet.

I lower myself onto the seat, its coolness beneath me.

With her hair in a towel, Lucy applies cream and wraps my arm in a bandage.

“If you can not get it wet for at least a few hours, that would be good.”

“Got it. Want me to make dinner?”

While I wait for her answer, I bite my lip. I know what she saw, but I also don’t want her to slip away unnoticed from my grasp, like a shadow disappearing into the night. Losing her would be the end of me. I won’t let that happen.

“You’re the better cook, unless you want a PB&J.”

“I got you. Get dressed and bring your laptop down,” I whisper before leaving the bathroom.

Stopping in the room, I grab my sweatpants and a dark tee, slipping them on and placing my hat on backward before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

When I see the pie on the counter, I hang my head. With everything that happened today, I forgot about the farmer’s market.

Rifling through the cupboards, I finally locate the perfect ingredients for a mouthwatering stir-fry. With a firm grip on the frying pan and pot, I dive into preparing dinner.

The sound of her footsteps on the stairs comforts me. At least she wants to be in the same room with me, or she’s just hungry.

“How’d you know about the hand?”

“Read through your notes when I was in there dropping off the new pens I found,” I say, and start boiling water for noodles.

“I appreciate how much you believe in me,” she whispers.

Setting her laptop on the table, her fingers dance across the keyboard and I continue chopping up vegetables for dinner.

“We have blueberry pie from the market.”

“Thank you for doing that today. Kinda forgot to say that.”

“Shocking. I assumed you would’ve remembered. I mean, your girlfriend only caught you killing women. You had to chase her through the woods and fuck her with someone else’s hand! Which, by the way, is weird, because I thought I was only yours?”

I steal a glance at her. Her eyes dance with amusement, radiating a mischievous sparkle. And that smirk on her pretty pink lips? It’s downright tantalizing.

“Listen, things kinda got outta hand out there.” I do my best to keep a straight face, but we both lose it and laugh together. “As for the touching, you’re right, but I decide what touches you. I much prefer only me, though.”

“What’re you making?”

I use the knife to scrap the vegetables into the pan, along with the sauce. “Stir-fry,” I say as I spin around to drain the noodles.

She says nothing more and turns on her music playlist.

Once everything is cooked, I portion it onto a plate and carry it over to her. She looks over at the dish, her eyes filling with curiosity.

“Can we have pie first?”

I tilt my head. “Did you poison it?” I ask her.

She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Obviously, just for this occasion. I figured we’d go out together.”

I jump up and grab the pie, putting it between us. The tension in the air is palpable. I can feel the rapid thumping of my heart in my chest, as if it’s trying to break free.

“I don’t want to live on this ledge. What’s it going to be, Lucy? Want me to leave, done with me? I need to know.”

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